Brandi Powellhttp://brandipowell.com
Painting & IllustrationTue, 06 Dec 2016 17:10:09 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.739438035Happy Thanksgiving!http://brandipowell.com/mixedplate/happy-thanksgiving
http://brandipowell.com/mixedplate/happy-thanksgiving#respondThu, 24 Nov 2016 02:44:02 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=1534Another year has gone by and it is the holidays again. I heard a commercial on the radio this…]]>

Another year has gone by and it is the holidays again. I heard a commercial on the radio this morning for New Year’s resolutions. Every year after 30 has gone faster and faster, I won’t say how many years have actually passed since then! Hee Hee.

This year has been a good year mentally, but not as great financially. I made a huge art change this year and when you do that, it is pretty much like starting over from scratch. I suppose that depends on how much you change. This was a HUGE change year so that means starting over with a blank client list. No worries, now that I have settled in, next year I can build back up.

I wanted to share a few things that I am particularly thankful for this year.

GIVING THANKS

Painting.

After a 6 year break, started again on January 1, 2016 and still going strong.

Family.

Mostly my husband and his family who have been so supportive this year.

Health.

I am a bit fluffy, but overall doing good and healthy.

New Home.

2 years in Winterset on December 15th so not super new, but still feels new.

Chloe.

I am so grateful to have my pup Chloe in my life. She is the best!

That is the list. I have more, but these are the main things for this year. I would love to hear how your year has gone. What are you Thankful for? Did you make any crazy changes this year?

This week I am sharing the gifts that I found for pet lovers! Specifically cats & dogs. I have a dog whom is pretty much my bestie next to my hubby and I am sure there are other pet mom’s like me who would love a pet themed gift!

I would have to say that the sweatshirt is my favorite in this grouping, but the tote is super witty so that is fun. I hope that one of these will help you with the cat lover in your life. Most of the goodies that I found were for ladies, but several of these would work just fine for the cat guys on your list.

Check back with me on Thursday (ORSIGNUPFOROURMAILINGLIST — LINKINSIDEBAR) for the Dog Lovers gift guide. I am super excited for this one as these would all be on my list!

]]>http://brandipowell.com/gift-guides-2016/gifts-for-cat-ladies/feed01508Gifts for Himhttp://brandipowell.com/gift-guides-2016/gifts-for-him
http://brandipowell.com/gift-guides-2016/gifts-for-him#respondThu, 10 Nov 2016 13:00:55 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=1495In my experience, ladies and kids are easy to buy for, but men on the other hand — tough.…]]>

In my experience, ladies and kids are easy to buy for, but men on the other hand — tough. Men who are sports fans are simple, as they tend to like anything team related, so there you go. The other guys are the ones that throw me. This week I am showing off several gifts that I think would satisfy any guy.

There is one exception here, I suppose your man would need a beard for the beard kit — my man has a beard so I had to include it! No fear, all men need to groom and there are plenty of other fun supplies in that particular shop for shaving men! Visit the links above to learn more or to purchase featured items.

Check back next week (ORSIGNUPFOROURMAILINGLIST — LINKINSIDEBAR) for the Pet Lovers gift guides. If you have a dog or a cat lover in your life, I have some seriously cute ideas for you!

]]>http://brandipowell.com/gift-guides-2016/gifts-for-him/feed01495Gifts for Herhttp://brandipowell.com/gift-guides-2016/gifts-for-her
http://brandipowell.com/gift-guides-2016/gifts-for-her#commentsTue, 08 Nov 2016 13:00:43 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=1484Welcome to the 2016 gift guides! I did this last year and everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I…]]>

Welcome to the 2016 gift guides! I did this last year and everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I figured I would do it again this year. I will be posting a new handmade gift guide every Tuesday & Thursday from now through December 1st. Shop handmade, support small business this holiday season!

My first gift guide is all about us ladies! These are handmade gifts that I felt that pretty much any lady would love. I couldn’t even pick a favorite from these lovelies. Ladies are super easy, which is why I decided to start off with us. Visit the links above to learn more or to purchase featured items!

Check back Thursday (OR SIGN UP FOR OUR MAILING LIST — LINK IN SIDEBAR) for the Gifts For Him gift guide. I generally find men though to buy for, but I found some real goodies!

]]>http://brandipowell.com/gift-guides-2016/gifts-for-her/feed11484Holiday Goodieshttp://brandipowell.com/mypapergoodsandgifts/holiday-goodies
http://brandipowell.com/mypapergoodsandgifts/holiday-goodies#respondThu, 03 Nov 2016 19:32:39 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=1448It is that time again, time to start thinking about the holidays! Time for holiday cards and gift wrapping,…]]>

It is that time again, time to start thinking about the holidays! Time for holiday cards and gift wrapping, parties and fun. Being that I just started painting this year, I haven’t really painted much for specific holidays. I did paint one tiny snowman who seems to get a lot of attention at shows, so I thought I would create a few holiday products featuring his cute little self!

Pictured above is an adorable set of mini cards that can be used as a gift tag or you can set one on a co-workers desk to give a little cheer! They include little kraft envelopes and are sold in sets of 4 for $6 or 2 sets for $10. HERE.

Below is my only holiday card for the year, but he does make a cute little holiday card. I kept the message simple on the front so you could personalize your wishes within the blank inside. Available in sets of 1, 3 and 6. HERE.

Finally, if you are looking for a cute small piece of decor for the holidays, Snowy is available as an 8 x 10 art print as well! HERE.

I have decided to do GIFT GUIDES for 2017 and I am super excited about sharing my finds. Please, check back with me as I will start posting on Tuesday the 8th and will have 2 Guides a week on Tuesday/Thursday through mid-December. Super fun!

Have a great day!

]]>http://brandipowell.com/mypapergoodsandgifts/holiday-goodies/feed01448Yes, we Wholesale!http://brandipowell.com/mypapergoodsandgifts/yes-we-wholesale
http://brandipowell.com/mypapergoodsandgifts/yes-we-wholesale#respondSat, 29 Oct 2016 12:00:44 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=1438We are thrilled to be able to offer our NEW line of paper goods & gifts at wholesale pricing!…]]>

We are thrilled to be able to offer our NEW line of paper goods & gifts at wholesale pricing! Our line of irresistibly adorable goods includes greeting cards, note cards, lunchbox notes, stickers, magnet sets, interchangeable magnet lockets & art prints! If you think we would be a great fit for your shop, visit our Wholesale Page for more info.

Super cute tiny sticker packs with 12 different sticker designs.

Note cards that include printed envelopes that say “Have a Great Day!”

Readers, if you know of an amazing handmade or stationery shop in your area that would be a good fit for our work, let us know!

]]>http://brandipowell.com/mypapergoodsandgifts/yes-we-wholesale/feed01438Website Updatehttp://brandipowell.com/creativebusiness/website-update
http://brandipowell.com/creativebusiness/website-update#respondSun, 16 Oct 2016 02:16:46 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=1363I haven’t had the chance to paint over the last few weeks, but I only have about a week…]]>

I haven’t had the chance to paint over the last few weeks, but I only have about a week to go before I will start again. This week I have been working on a small product line of paper goods & gifts that I will be offering on Etsy & via wholesale. With that said, my website needed a mini-update before the traffic started rolling in (hee hee).

This week I plan to finish up my product photos and get them listed in my Etsy shop. Also, need to finish my wholesale catalog and terms, ect. Wish me luck.

In the meantime, I hope you find the time to make something awesome! If you do, I would love to see what you have been up to!

]]>http://brandipowell.com/creativebusiness/website-update/feed01363Work in Progress (Smalls)http://brandipowell.com/mypaintings/work-in-progress-smalls
http://brandipowell.com/mypaintings/work-in-progress-smalls#respondThu, 01 Sep 2016 17:55:32 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=1098Today I am working on six small pieces in hopes of finishing them for the NewBo art festival this…]]>

Today I am working on six small pieces in hopes of finishing them for the NewBo art festival this weekend. The two on the right are just about done — just need finishing touches and background work.. The other 4 are just getting started. The original sketches are above. These are only size 6 x 8 so cute! Here are a few shots of the progress.

Sketches

More Progress

I will post the finished pieces as soon as I get them done. Super excited for these, they are cuter than I had imagined!

]]>http://brandipowell.com/mypaintings/work-in-progress-smalls/feed01098Happiness and Changeshttp://brandipowell.com/mypaintings/happiness-and-changes
http://brandipowell.com/mypaintings/happiness-and-changes#commentsFri, 12 Aug 2016 19:05:09 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=978This is probably going to surprise you all — sorry. Over the past few months, my husband and I have…]]>

This is probably going to surprise you all — sorry. Over the past few months, my husband and I have been talking about what I want from my work. We talk about what makes me happy and how this is going to work long term. I love painting, but I don’t enjoy the aspects of needing a model or a photographer to get reference shots for bodies. I also feel like there is less freedom in my work when I am trying to express “reality” in my work. I took 3 days painting a gorgeous woman with a fox and flowers only to end up painting over the entire thing because the nose didn’t come out right. Silly and quite honestly, I don’t paint realistically enough for that to be an issue, but it bothered me so much that I had to let it go.

Then I started thinking about my digital illustration work and how much I LOVE drawing characters. I just prefer to be away from the computer so I thought I wanted a break from illustration, but what I really wanted was a break from working digitally. SO I thought, what would happen if I started painting my quirky characters? That would be fun, different and give me the freedom to draw however I wanted. I started painting characters and it is SO fun. BUT, would people like it? Would they judge me? Would they think I couldn’t draw because things were not perfect. It would be so different and I was worried.

In the middle of this contemplation, a friend of mine passed away and I realized again — that life is too short to worry about what people think. I create art because I love it. I do it because I have to now or I would go crazy. Characters make me happy. Life isn’t perfect, people aren’t perfect. My characters are not perfect and we are all ok.

I do hope you enjoy them and that you follow me as I head in this new direction of freedom and imperfection.

]]>http://brandipowell.com/mypaintings/happiness-and-changes/feed4978Time Managementhttp://brandipowell.com/creativebusiness/time-management
http://brandipowell.com/creativebusiness/time-management#respondTue, 31 May 2016 12:30:25 +0000http://brandipowell.com/?p=921Sometimes it seems like my time management skills have been slipping away. I find myself at the end of…]]>

Sometimes it seems like my time management skills have been slipping away. I find myself at the end of the day wondering what I have actually accomplished that day. That or I find myself doing things that are not helpful in working toward my goals. I seem to be distracted by pretty much everything.

I think that starting over is difficult. I have built several businesses over the last 6 years and for the second year in a row, I am starting over. I think that having such a lofty goal might be part of my time management issues. It is a struggle when your “to do list” is so long that you feel like it might be impossible. I think that stops me from starting anything. With that said, I need to get myself together or nothing is going to get done.

5 Tips for Managing Your Time

Prioritize

The most important tip I can give you for managing your time is to prioritize. Get the most important tasks done first. It sounds so easy, but sometimes we tend to put off the tasks that are difficult, even when they are the most important or due right away.

Plan out your day or week

It really helps to start out with a plan. Make a task list for the day or week and check them off as you go. This is also a great motivator for visual people as we can actually see what we have accomplished for the day or week.

Set time limits for tasks

This is particularly important with social media. Social media is important, but it is also a huge rabbit hole for some people (me). I set out to post a few things and make a few comments and all of the sudden, it is 2 hours later — eeeek! Time yourself and force yourself to step away after your allotted time.

Stay Focused

Another tip that seems so simple, but for creatives it is not as easy as you would think. There are so many fun things to do in our home studio’s that it is easy to get distracted and find yourself off task. Force yourself to stay focused on your task until it’s done.

Finish one job at a time (even if it’s small)

In the middle of one task I find myself thinking about another task (stay focused). If this happens and it is an important note that may help you with the next task, jot it down, but don’t stop task number one. Finish it… finish it…just get it finished!

Either you run the day, or the day runs you. — Jim Rohn

Well, I truly should have been working rather than writing this article, but I wanted to share with you as I am sure I can’t be the only one with this issue. Do you have a home studio? Do you find yourself easily distracted? What do you do to stay on task?